Wesley Matthews didn’t play. Luke Babbitt had a monster dunk that surely was a “SportsCenter Top 10” nominee.

Victor Claver and Sasha Pavlovic, who flirted with a triple double, started. And the Trail Blazers set an NBA record for most missed three-pointers without a make (20), but they outscored the Raptors 54-26 in the paint.

“There was a lot of weird stuff that happened out there,” Blazers center J.J. Hickson said. “But I’ll take it. As long as we got a W.”

The peculiarity started about 80 minutes before tipoff, when Matthews, who injured his left hip in the Blazers’ loss to the Sacramento Kings Saturday night, took the court for his normal pregame shooting routine. Initially, things seemed positive for Matthews as he effortlessly drained three-pointers and midrange jumpers. But about five or 10 minutes into his workout, Matthews drove to the hoop for a layup and a streak of pain surged through his leg.

He hobbled to the Blazers’ bench, grimacing. After a quick chat with team trainer Jay Jensen, Matthews cut his pregame routine short and retreated to the locker room. His night was over. And so was a streak.

It was the first time in Matthews’ NBA career that he missed a game, ending a run of 250 consecutive games played. That, combined with the absence of Nicolas Batum — who missed the game with a sore back — seemed to be a blow to the Blazers (9-12).

But not in Bizarro World.

There were some expected happenings Monday night. LaMarcus Aldridge had a monster game, finishing with 30 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, while making 11 of 19 shots. Also, J.J. Hickson recorded his 11th double double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. But very little besides that was normal.

The Blazers, who are so dependent on outside shooting, shot just 40 percent from the field as all those three-pointers bricked and ricocheted off the rim. Surprisingly, rookie Damian Lillard was in the middle of the cold-as-ice shooting, finishing with just nine points and six assists. It was just the second time this season that Lillard — who made just 2 of 14 shots — failed to reach double figures in scoring. Typically, when he struggles, the Blazers follow.

But not against the Raptors, as Pavlovic and Nolan Smith more than made up for Lillard’s ho-hum night. In a performance that was easily his most meaningful with the Blazers, Pavlovic played a season-high 42 minutes while starting for the injured Matthews and his veteran poise and cool-under-fire demeanor steadied the Blazers.

Coach Terry Stotts praised Pavlovic’ defense on DeMar DeRozan and his solid all-around game (10 points, seven rebounds, five assists) was a difference-maker. Meanwhile, Smith was a scoring surprise off the bench, finishing with 11 points and three assists — all coming on alley-oop lobs.

Throughout it all the Blazers’ oft-maligned defense was surprisingly stout. The Blazers not only allowed their fewest points of the season (74), but also held Toronto to a season-low 35.1 percent shooting. No doubt a lot of the Raptors’ offense woes can be attributed to who was not in their lineup — point guard Kyle Lowry and Andrea Bargnani left the game with injuries and Amir Johnson was ejected in third quarter. But it’s not like the Blazers were at full strength either.

“I thought we just really locked in on our matchups tonight,” Aldridge said of the Blazers’ defense. “We knew tendencies better tonight. And they were on a back to back so I thought our energy was good tonight.”

But when it was all said and done, the most bizarre moment came from Babbitt. The Blazers’ sharpshooter, who is most known for his long-range shooting prowess, had a did-that-really-happen dunk in the fourth quarter.

Babbitt passed up a three-point chance in front of the Raptors’ bench, drove baseline and hammered a two-handed dunk over Ed Davis. The Rose Garden went nuts, Aldridge sprinted back laughing and the Blazers’ bench erupted in stunned awe as Babbitt nonchalantly ran back on defense.

“I wish he had a better celebration,” Smith said of the dunk. “We were more hyper than he was. But that’s Luke. I was jumping around. (Aldridge) was yelling and Luke was being Luke. Quiet celebration. No words needed.”

But there were plenty of words after the game. Aldridge, Hickson and Smith all joked that they had never seen Babbitt dunk before and feigned shock at the athletic move. Babbitt acknowledged that while he often dunks in practice, it was, in fact, his first dunk in an NBA game.

“I actually got hit in the head, so I was I was kind of dazed,” Babbitt said of the dunk. “I didn’t even know it went in to be honest with you. But it felt good.”

And for the Blazers, Bizarro World felt pretty good, too.

Notes: Claver made his first career start in place of Batum and finished with four points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists. He struggled from the field, making just 2 of 12 shots, but contributed in a lot of areas. ... Jefferson High School graduate Terrence Ross played 13 minutes for the Raptors, finishing with two points and one rebound in his first NBA game in Portland. ... It was the Blazers’ eighth consecutive win over the Raptors, their longest against any team. ... Aldridge passed Arvydas Sabonis for seventh place on the franchise rebounding list with 3,439.